As security systems continue to grow and expand, companies are grappling with the ability to collect large amounts of data while keeping up with the latest technology trends. Working with traditional software technology solutions requires various inefficiency levels — installations are needed for each physical location, which depletes a company's already strapped IT resources, and dedicated hardware is expensive to replicate with growth.
In an effort to work smarter and not harder, security leaders are realizing the limitations their current infrastructures have in terms of data processing and analytics. Luckily, a new answer to bettering software is making its presence known within the industry: Kubernetes.
Virtual Machines vs. Container Technology
Traditionally, we install an application directly on operating systems, i.e., how laptops function. When this approach is used for servers, it ends up being very inefficient with resources. For security reasons, only one application is run on a server, but it will only use about 10 percent of that physical server’s resources.
To solve this problem, the industry created virtual machines (VMs). Through a hypervisor, we are able to have several VMs on a single physical machine. To a software installation, a VM looks like a single isolated server. Thus, we use resources more efficiently while meeting security requirements.
VMs have their drawbacks. For example, there is a lot of overhead: You are, in essence, running an operating system on top of another operating system. Containers address these drawbacks and are quickly replacing the VM method, which was a step in the right direction within the industry, but has numerous disadvantages. A container is like a VM but without the overhead of an OS on an OS. As VMs need a hypervisor, containers require an orchestrator, and the most popular is Kubernetes.
Kubernetes: An Overview
Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration system used for automating computer application deployment, scaling and management. It eliminates the need for manual updates, giving the ability to deploy applications quickly, predictably and to scale.
Kubernetes work with container technology, which provides developers with new ways to design and develop applications in a more modular and resilient manner. This is accomplished by separating different applications' logical functions into separate containers for code lifecycle management and scalability reasons. Kubernetes not only allows you to deploy those containers to a scalable cluster, but it can be used to automate the orchestration of your containerized applications.
Why Edge PaaS for Kubernetes is Best
Container processes can be complicated. Kubernetes is not a traditional, all-inclusive Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) system. It's important to work with professionals who understand your needs and can provide the best solutions, giving you one central location to provision, monitor and update complex distributed frameworks.
The cloud can only hold so much; with edge computing, it’s possible to get the same experience of container deployment, but at the true edge at hundreds or thousands of locations. And the trend is here to stay — according to Gartner, around 10 percent of enterprise-generated data is created and processed outside a traditional centralized data center or cloud. By 2025, it's predicted this figure will reach 75 percent.
When choosing an edge PaaS, it’s important to look for a reliable, affordable solution which will allow you to deploy containers to thousands of clusters with the push of a button. Additionally, look for one that is highly scalable to meet your business needs no matter how much you grow.
In an increasingly virtual world, it's become clear that there must be more efficient ways to receive, process and analyze data. By keeping up with the latest trends in enterprise technologies, companies will have an easier time assessing and alleviating common pain points.
